


You Can Put Your Dukes Down, Stringbean

by temperature_is_fake



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blow Jobs, Detectives, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, M/M, References to Depression, Serial Killers, Serious Injuries, Tenderness, ambiguous time period, bullet wounds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:54:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23851150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/temperature_is_fake/pseuds/temperature_is_fake
Summary: From the prompt (not word-for-word bc i couldn't find the original post): a mob boss and chief of police are married and keep having to "just miss" eachother in shoot-outs, featuring such highlights as "how was your day at work?" "you FUCKING SHOT ME???".Tinsley is a private detective that works closely with the local police squad; Ricky is a mob boss and serial killer on the side.They're married. Ricky.... *maybe* should have angled his gun better.
Relationships: Ricky Goldsworth/C. C. Tinsley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 62





	You Can Put Your Dukes Down, Stringbean

**Author's Note:**

> title from the song by Teddy Hyde with the same name;  
> this is my first time writing sex so don't nerf me lmao, i didn't even start out ending for it to end this way, CC was just like "??? give me what i want, writer".  
> Please comment, even if its just "!!!!!!" (that's how I usually end up commenting on other works lmao), they don't count hits from ppl who aren't logged in anymore and I am like liddol baby in my self esteem rn

Tinsley walked in, flinching as his right hip brushed against the doorframe. He dumped his computer bag by the study door, pulled off his coat, stripping out of his clothes as he went.

Ricky was leaning out of his seat at the kitchen table, sweeping a pile of notes together with his arms. He looked up as Tinsley walked in, wincing at the growing bruise under his bandages and his scowling face. “H-how was your day at work?” he tried.  
“How was my-HOW WAS MY DAY AT WORK _, RICKY_? You FUCKING SHOT ME!” Tinsley exclaimed.

“I didn’t mean to! I had to keep up appearances!” “You could have angled it a _little_! _” “_ I didn’t have time to decide!” “You didn’t have time to _decide_? You didn’t have the _time_ to decide _not to shoot your fucking_ husband _?” “_ I’m sorry! I panicked! How can I make it up to you, baby, you know I didn’t mean to.” Ricky asked earnestly.

Tinsley sighed, running a hand over his face. “Just. Leave me alone for tonight. I can’t even look at you right now Ricky. I almost broke the act! We would’ve been caught, both of us. You promised me it wouldn’t get in the way, that it wouldn’t come up as a case”. Ricky cut in, grabbing his arm, “And I meant that! It wasn’t supposed to, not _ever,_ Tinsley, please believe me-”

Tinsley whirled around, glaring. “Don’t interrupt me” he ground out. Ricky stilled, staring at his side in guilt, at Tinsley’s still-bloody shirt crumpled up in his hand.

Tinsley went on. “I don’t care that’s it’s a case. I was expecting it regardless of promises made and kept. What matters is you deciding where your priorities lie, me or your _habit_ , Ricky. I don’t want to ask you to stop. But……. the squad is closing in on you.”

“Tinsley…” Ricky let go of his arm, trying to form a response. “I…”

Tinsley turned away, shoving his shirt into the laundry basket and pulling off his pants.

“Don’t bother. I’m having a shower and I don’t want to see you when I get back.”

“Okay. Sure. Whatever you want, C. I love you.”  
Tinsley walked into the bathroom without responding.

* * *

Tinsley walked out, looking around the hall and kitchen. No sign of Ricky. He let out a breath, making his way to the bedroom. A sense of apprehension overcame him as he pushed open the door, replaced quickly with disappointment as Ricky was nowhere to be seen. He’d meant it when he’d sent him away, but they hadn’t spent a night apart in months. Years. Always finding their way back to each-other for bed, regardless of night work. Even if it was just one of them slipping in hours after the other.

He eased himself down onto the bed, trying fruitlessly to avoid jostling his wound. The fresh bandages helped somewhat but they’d not been wrapped as tight as they would have been if Ricky’d done it. Like he usually did whenever Tinsley got hurt, on the job or off.

Tinsley tried to reason with himself that keeping Ricky near him would only result in his wound being hit in the night, that he’d be too emotional to sleep, that he’d only want to argue, but he could still hear a little voice in the back of his head saying _you’re emotional anyway, you know Ricky’d be so careful with you, it’d be safer for you both, better_.

He shut that voice right the fuck down.

 _Zero tolerance for sappy bullshit,_ he thought.

* * *

Tinsley tossed and turned for hours, worrying.

 _But what if he really didn’t mean to, he’s only looking out for our safety, our privacy, your_ job _. Your criminal record. “Accessory to serial murder” wouldn’t look so good for you, would it? No-one in their right mind would think Ricky’d shoot his husband._ But that was just it, wasn’t it? It was a cover for _Ricky_ , not him. Ricky wouldn’t shoot his husband, so the shooter can’t have been _Ricky Goldsworth_ , that man is so dedicated to his sweetheart. Must’ve been another guy. Maybe he’d understand if Ricky managed to keep everything under wraps within his family's business, but his habit tended to stray outwards every few months.

_He can’t help killing some poor distant acquaintance every few months, you mean?_

“Whose side are you on, voice?” he wondered out loud

“Ours, I’d hope” Tinsley opened his right eye, Ricky’s outline appearing in the doorway, holding a go-bag of clothes. He hadn’t heard him come in. Tinsley’s throat felt tacky, his mouth dry. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to be _furious_ , but he couldn’t. He missed Ricky too much already.

“Why are you here, Ricky?” he managed, pushing himself up against the headboard stiffly. “This is my house. I live here.” He responded, faux-casually shrugging. Tinsley stared in disbelief “You said you’d go away for the night, come _on_ Ricky, can’t I have this _one_ thing?” His voice squeaked higher on ‘one’, tears springing into his eye, not because of Ricky, but because of his own weakness. _Couldn’t even manage one night without yearning for your husband. Pathetic. You’d think a private detective would be stronger, able to deal with a bullet wound without crying for the guy who_ shot _you. Absolutely useless._

“I can go, I just thought _-_ I thought you wouldn’t want to be alone. You still got _shot,_ C! It doesn’t matter whether it was me or some random, you got shot. You got _shot.”_ Ricky’s voice cracked, his worry breaking through. “I know how you get after these days, I’m your husband. Your _husband_. I couldn’t just leave you to spiral with checking on you. I’m not sorry I came back to do that. I’m _not._ But I _am_ sorry I broke my promise, both of them.” Tinsley stared at him, blinking away tears. “I’ll go now. For as long as you want.”

He turned to leave, hand brushing the hall light, when Tinsley’s voice broke the silence. “Don’t.”

Ricky paused, waiting.

Tinsley tried again; the words still caught in his throat. “Don’t”.

“I’ll leave the light on, if that’s what you want” Ricky said. He didn’t move.

“Don’t. Just- Don’t leave me, please-” Tinsley begged, his body suddenly wracked with sobs. Ricky rushed over, dropping his bag. He sat down, pulling Tinsley into his arms as carefully as he could. “I’m not gonna leave, I’m staying, I’m _staying_ , darling, it’s okay, you’re safe, I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you, I won’t hurt you. I’m sorry, I’m _sorry,_ Tinman _”._ Ricky babbled, voice cracking yet again on the last ‘sorry’. Tinsley fisted Ricky’s shirt, trying to get as close to Ricky as he could. Ricky’s elbow hit his wound as he did so, making him flinch, and Ricky try to pull back. Tinsley wouldn’t let him. “No, no, it’s fine, I’ve had worse, stay, _stay”_.

He clung to Ricky, body still shaking. “I shouldn’t need you; I shouldn’t _need you_ this badly, Ricky, I can’t. This is pathetic. I’m pathetic. The worst private eye in the fucking world, sleeping with the fucking mafia, with a _serial killer_ , what the hell is wrong with me?”

Ricky began babbling again, “No, no, C, you’re not! You’re not pathetic, I swear to you, you’re not. You’re amazing. You’ve solved every case you’ve gotten since I met you! And you’d be amazing either way, Tinsley, please believe me. You don’t see _you_ like I do. Like everyone else does”. Tinsley eventually stopped shaking, burying his face into Ricky’s neck. “You’re everything. You’re _everything_ , Tinman. You’re exquisite”.

Tinsley laughed bitterly, pulling back from Ricky. “I’m not. I’m _not._ Listen to me, Ricky! I’m not, I’m not those things. And either way? I’m still sleeping with the enemy; I’m fucking _married_ to the enemy! I’m supposed to be catching you, turning you over to the police!”

“Well…. you did catch me, technically. If that helps. You can put your dukes down, long legs” Ricky said, knowing that arguing was futile.

Tinsley huffed out a laugh, a real laugh this time. “Really? That’s what you’re going with?” “What else am I supposed to say, there’s no point arguing with you and getting you more riled up tonight. Come on, admit that it helps a little, at least you know where I am all the time!”.

Tinsley lose it, cackling “Okay, it does! Hah, it does, somewhat. ‘I caught him, guys! No need to put him in prison though, I’ve got him on _lock_! Don’t worry about it _LOL_!’” He mimicked, wiping his eyes and shifting back against the headboard.

Ricky laughed, “‘Oh yeah, we’re married now, don’t mind us! Remind me not to shoot him next time we see him though! Oh yeah, he’s still out and about; we're married though so it's cool.’”  
They both sobered, silence falling between them.

Ricky spoke first. “I could stop. I’d stop, for you. If you want me to, I’ll stop. I’d do anything for you, you know” he said, a smile tilting his lips up. He looked at Tinsley, questioning.

Tinsley sighed. “It’s a part of you. The killing. I knew that when I married you, I’d accepted long before that” he said, finally naming the issue they’d been dancing around. “It’s… honestly? A little hot. Seeing you like that. But not when I’m on the job. The squad was with me, and Horsley already suspects you. I couldn’t deal with it if you got jailed, I’d crack.”

“What, break me out of prison? Come on, we both know you’re too straight-edge for that”

“Not if it’s for you”

“Oh. _Oh._ Right.” “Did you forget our wedding vows, golden boy? ‘In sickness and in health, in jail and out’, remember?” “I thought that was a joke! I’d never expect that from you”

“It wasn’t. And you should. So, don’t get arrested. Because then we’re both in trouble. Got it?” Tinsley asked, poking Ricky in the ribs. “God, _ow, hey!_ Don’t poke me! Okay, okay! I swear.”

“Better be better than your other promises” “It will be. It _will_ be. But are you sure? I wasn’t joshing you when I said I’d stop. I have other ways to entertain myself. Family work is more than enough. Plenty of people to disappear there.”

“Naturally. And yes. I’m sure. I don’t want to take that away from you, change a part of your personality for me. Your habit does wear on me, but if you were more careful about it… you can keep going.”

“Oh, just admit that you think I’m the hottest thing you’ve ever seen, right after!” “I did.”

“Oh. Right.” Ricky paused, going red, trying to form an appropriate response. Tinsley laughed  
“What, you can dish it out but you can’t take it?” “Oh, I can _take it_ Tinman, you know that” Ricky purred back.

Tinsley shifted under the sheets; past crying forgotten. “Can you now? I’d forgotten. It’s been so long.”

“It certainly hasn’t, but I’ll take the bait. Will you be okay with your side?” “I want to blow me, which we can do staying still. So yeah, I will be. You know, you have no idea how stunning you were, covered in blood, sweat dripping, body underneath you. I almost couldn’t keep the act up” “Fuck, _Tinsley,_ you can’t just _say_ things like that” Ricky said, pushing the sheets out from under him to the bottom of the bed and sliding down.

He nestled himself between Tinsley’s legs, rubbing his legs and pressing light, reverent kisses to his thighs. Tinsley shivered, hands moving to card through Ricky’s hair. “How do you want this, Tinman?” Ricky asked, glancing up from between his thighs.

“Getting my underwear off might be a start” Tinsley chuckled. “I was taking it slow!” Ricky defended, palming Tinsley through the cloth. He stopped just as Tinsley started to buck up slightly, pulling his underwear down. He had to scramble down the bed to get them off Tinsley’s long legs, huffing at Tinsley’s laugh. Ricky took the opportunity to shrug off his own clothes, leaving them and his shoes in a pile on the floor to deal with later.

He pulled himself back up, wriggling around to get comfy, carefully avoiding touching Tinsley where he was clearly wanted. “I worry about you, you get that, right? I care about you. We’re married. I didn’t do it for a joke, and I know you didn’t either. I don’t want to leave you alone when you’re hurting, and especially not if it’s because of _me,_ Tinsley. I’ll do it if you ask. I’ll do _anything_ if you ask. I was hoping you’d be asleep, honestly. I didn’t want to bother you. I. Goddamnit Tinsley you know I love you. I’m _in_ love with you. You’ve known for years. But I’m still not good at expressing it in a… real way. A way that isn’t plastic, the way I learnt to talk to people, the way I _have_ to talk to people to survive. And you deserve that. That and so much more”

Tinsley watched him silently as he spoke, eyes soft. When Ricky paused, he spoke right away.  
“I know. I know you do. I still don’t think I deserve that, or anything like it, and I think I might never. I know you know that too. And I know you’re gonna keep trying and I hope you do because I _need_ you Ricky Goldsworth. I’d rather die than lose you. If getting shot is the price, I’ll pay it gladly. But since you _did_ shoot me… can I get that blowjob now?”  
Ricky had listened closely, intent on doing whatever Tinsley asked. He had… _maybe_ forgotten about the position he was in (between Tinsley’s legs, his cock out in front of him). “Ah. Yeah.”

“’Ah yeah’ is right, Golden boy. I’m dying here” “You better not be.” Ricky murmured as he lowered his lips to kiss the tip, flicking his tongue out lightly. Tinsley shuddered, arching his back slightly, hands moving to grip Ricky’s hair, desperate for contact. “Please- _please”_ “No need to beg, darlin’, I’m getting there”. Ricky opened his mouth, sucking the head softly, moving down slowly. He pulled off as slowly as he went down, saying “now, stay still for me, won’t you? I don’t want to jostle your wound any more than it already has been. You can do that for me, right, doll?” “Y-yes”. Once Tinsley had responded, Ricky lowered his mouth again, pressing kisses to Tinsley’s shaft and trailing more down his thighs, just to watch them shudder. He moved back to the head, swirling the tip of his tongue over it, pulling back to appreciate the taste. “Ricky, I love you but I’m going to lose it if I don’t come in the next two minutes” “Okay, okay” Ricky laughed. “You sure?” “Am I _sure-_ YES, _Ricky,_ I’m fucking sure!”.

“Alright then” Ricky hollowed his mouth and swallowed Tinsley to the base, years of sex with Tinsley making him accustomed to the length. Fairly proportional, his husband was. When Tinsley relaxed his grip on his hair, Ricky moved back and began to bob with practiced ease, flattening his tongue beneath and pulling back to mouth the tip more. “Ricky, baby, I’m-” Ricky swallowed him down once more, intent on giving him the gift he deserved. Tinsley pulled his hair harder as he came down Ricky’s throat, still trying not to buck up and move his right side at all. Ricky drank down all of him, pulling back unhurriedly to lick the cum off his lips.

Tinsley felt boneless, sinking into the bed. “Worn out?” Ricky asked. “Ungh... _yes,_ Golden boy, I’m worn out. You sucked the life outta me. Heh” “Oh yeah, yack it up. Anyway, you deserve it.” Ricky climbed out from between his legs, settling into the left side, his side, of the bed. “Mind if I take care of myself?” “God, of course not, wait, lemme help-” Tinsley shifted, before Ricky placed a hand on his chest. “I’ve got this. You need rest. I’ll get us cleaned up in a sec.”

Tinsley watched as Ricky brought himself off, starting off slow and gradually picking up speed. Tinsley ran his eyes over all of Ricky as he jerked himself off erratically, spurting cum onto his chest. Tinsley leaned over to kiss him as he uncurled himself. They moved together in sync for a minute, before Tinsley twisted to the right side too far and winced, making Ricky pull back in worry. “I’m okay, baby, I’m fine.” “Don’t call me baby” “Oh, we’re back to that, are we? I thought you were ‘oh so sorry’ for having shot me, might’ve let it slide just this night”. Ricky chuckled “No can do, sorry darlin’”. Tinsley snickered as Ricky pushed himself off the bed and stumbled to the bathroom, legs jelly.

“I love you too, by the way” he called. “What?” Ricky yelled back. “I _love you_ , you dumbass! I didn’t say it before, when you left. I regret that” he lowered his voice as Ricky padded back in with a washcloth. “Oh, right. I didn’t mind. I did shoot you, it was only fair” “You want me to know you love me?” “Yeah, tinman, of course” “Then lemme do the same, golden boy”.

“Fair enough” Ricky replied, wiping himself down, and giving Tinsley a once-over to catch anything his lips had missed.

Ricky pulled the sheets, and then the comforter, back over their bodies, carefully snuggling into Tinsley’s side.

CC Tinsley had a bad day at work, but his night turned out pretty well.


End file.
